


The Venom Hangover

by Badgersprite



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-06
Updated: 2016-11-06
Packaged: 2018-08-29 09:19:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8483926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Badgersprite/pseuds/Badgersprite
Summary: Alex gets affected by an alien venom. Her antidote counteracts the venom, but the combination of chemicals leaves her heavily intoxicated. She winds up losing her filter and spilling all her frustrations about being led on by Maggie directly to her face, and also inadvertently outs herself to Kara.





	

“You know, Sawyer,” Alex began, catching her breath and reloading her assault rifle as she crouched behind an inactive conveyor belt for cover, “When you told me all those poisoning cases might be connected to an alien serial killer, I actually thought this might be one of those investigations that _didn’t_ lead to a showdown in an abandoned warehouse.”

 

“At least you brought backup this time,” said Maggie, although that statement was quickly followed by two DEO agents being tossed right over their heads by their hostile. “…And there they go. Good job, guys.”

 

“Ready?” asked Alex, locked and loaded. Maggie met Alex’s eyes, nodding to signal that she was prepared. No further discussion was necessary.

 

As one, they emerged from behind cover, opening fire and leaping into the fray. The alien was a giant, hulking insectoid, his thick carapace covered in large spines. But they weren’t the threat – the alien’s deadly venom was located in twin stingers in his wrists. That was how he had killed his victims.

 

Kara flew down to stop the alien from advancing on a DEO agent that had been knocked to the ground. Alex and Maggie stopped firing immediately. Invulnerable to bullets or not, they wouldn’t risk hitting her.

 

She traded blows with the much larger monstrosity, dodging and blocking his strikes, avoiding the potentially lethal stingers, but her punches had little effect. The alien hardly felt them through his thick exoskeleton. Kara tried to immobilise him with her freeze breath, but the unidentified alien spread his wasp-like wings, vibrating them fast enough to disperse the icy blast.

 

Alex saw hesitation in Kara’s eyes. She didn’t want to use her heat vision, reluctant to kill a living being as anything other than an absolute last resort, but swiftly running out of options. That momentary delay was all the unknown alien needed to charge shoulder-first into Kara, the impact of the tackle knocking the wind out of her and propelling her into a concrete wall.

 

“Hey, ugly,” Maggie called out to distract their hostile from pursuing Kara, before Alex could do so herself. Alex looked up to realise Maggie was no longer beside her. In fact, she had no idea where she was, until she suddenly swept into view, riding a metal hook attached to a rope like a zip-line, firing off shots from her pistol and throwing the heavy steel hook directly into the alien’s face.

 

Unfortunately, her bravado did nothing to unsteady him. Maggie did her best to keep the metal hook between her and the alien, dodging his hands when he reached for her, but she was on her own, defenceless.

 

Panic surged through Alex. Oh, God. There was no one standing between Maggie and that neurotoxin. If the alien got Maggie with it…

 

Alex had done her best to develop an anti-venom based on the samples they obtained from the most recent victim, but it had never been tested. She had no idea if it would be enough, or if it would work. Maggie could die.

 

No. She had to do something. Anything.

 

The alien uttered a screech of frustration and flung the metal hook into Maggie, sending her stumbling to the ground. The serial killer unsheathed his stingers, each dripping with potent venom, as if salivating over the prospect of claiming another human victim. Without a second thought, Alex sprinted across the divide and dove at the hostile, grabbing one of his wrists, refusing to let those stingers anywhere near Maggie, wrestling the alien’s attention away from her.

 

Despite being at a severe strength disadvantage, Alex managed to maintain her grip long enough to cut off the stinger on the arm she had under control with her combat knife. That just made the alien howl in fury. With his other arm, he struck her in the stomach, forcing Alex to release him, then shoving her backwards.

 

Alex’s eyes widened as she crumpled to the cold floor, hunched over on one knee. There was no mistaking it, even before she looked down to confirm her fears. It wasn’t the first time she’d been stabbed by a spine like that. Her flesh had been pierced by his stinger. The crimson stain on her fingers removed any doubt. And the alien was coming back for more.

 

Maggie raised her pistol and moved to stand squarely in front of Alex, determination in her gaze as she fired off several shots. They didn’t even phase the killer, lumbering towards her like a hulking brute. Maggie didn’t so much as flinch, refusing to move. As it turned out, she didn’t need to.

 

Before the alien could strike at her with his raised fist, a streak of blue and red shot through the air, colliding with him and sending him careening about thirty yards deeper into the warehouse, where he landed with a sickening crack.

 

Kara, Alex thought with a faint smile. Perfect timing, as always.

 

That was when the agony struck.

 

Alex clutched at her wound, searing pain surging through her system from the envenomation site. She couldn’t even keep herself on one knee, her limbs giving out beneath her. She rolled onto her back, if only because lying on her chest made it virtually impossible to breathe under the weight of her body.

 

“Sawyer!” Alex forced herself to growl through gritted teeth, straining to keep from screaming in anguish. Maggie instantly turned at her voice, glancing back over her shoulder. One look at Maggie’s face told her the exact moment that she realised Alex had been stung. “The anti-venom!”

 

“Don’t worry; I’ve got you,” Maggie assured her, taking out a vial and drawing it into a syringe. She focused solely on the task, doing her best to remain calm, but Alex could see perspiration on her brow. “It’s a good thing you cracked the formula for this serum when you did, Danvers.”

 

“Yeah, but I didn’t want to be the field test,” Alex spoke through a hiss, putting on a brave face to the best of her limited ability.

 

Maggie sighed heavily, flicking the needle, making sure there were no air bubbles in the syringe. “You wouldn’t be if you hadn’t tackled the damn thing like some big, dumb hero,” she commented, thoroughly displeased with Alex recklessly putting herself in harm’s way to save her like she had.

 

“No. But then it’d be you,” Alex pointed out. Maggie met her gaze. Alex summoned the strength to muster something resembling a smirk. “No regrets.”

 

Maggie swallowed and glanced aside, her expression uncharacteristically grave and serious. “If you die on me, I’m never going to forgive you for this, Danvers. And I mean that. I can hold a god damn grudge like you wouldn’t believe,” Maggie sternly warned, sliding the needle beneath Alex’s skin.

 

“Hopefully, it won't—” Alex’s reply was cut short by a gasp of pain.

 

She didn’t honestly know how well her serum would work. All Alex could say for her experimental antidote was that it should, in theory, counteract the lethal neurotoxin, but this venom contained a cocktail of other substances, in various concentrations. Even if she’d succeeded in neutralising the most dangerous component, she couldn’t rule out what effects it might have on her.

 

“Alex!” Kara sped into view as Maggie injected Alex with the last of the serum. “Oh no. She’s going to…Is she going to…?” Kara couldn’t even finish that sentence, her face wrought with worry at the thought of losing her sister. “I can…I can get her back to the DEO—”

 

“No, don’t,” Alex insisted, wincing in pain. Every word she uttered was a battle. “You can’t let him get away. There’s no telling how many more people he’ll hurt. I’ve taken the antidote; I’ll be fine.”

 

“I’ll get her somewhere safe,” Maggie assured Kara, though she only knew her as Supergirl, remaining composed, despite her obvious concern. “You need to bring down tall, dark and spiny over there before more of her squad ends up like this. We only have so much serum, and I’m not going to risk using too little on her. But you come find us the _second_ you’ve stopped him, you hear me?”

 

“Right.” Kara nodded, trusting Maggie to protect Alex. With that, Kara rocketed off to rejoin the skirmish, pushing the alien further away from Alex.

 

“Come on, Danvers. Can you stand?” asked Maggie, intent on getting Alex as far from danger as possible. A hail of bullets erupted throughout the warehouse as she spoke. They weren’t close by, but each one was like a chisel being hammered into Alex’s skull. The venom was wreaking havoc on her head.

 

“Ugh. I don’t…I’m not sure,” Alex admitted, squeezing her eyes shut. She couldn’t keep them open without feeling sick, what with the whole world spinning.

 

“Alright, give me your hand,” said Maggie, offering hers. Alex tried to clasp it, but her surroundings were blending together into a featureless haze. She couldn’t tell where Maggie began and ended. Thankfully, she didn’t need to, feeling fingers connect with her own. Alex became aware of her arm being draped over slim, toned shoulders. “On the count of three, I’m going to lift you up, okay?”

 

“Okay…” Alex managed to mumble, getting dizzy as the anti-venom worked to disperse the neurotoxin, preparing to push herself up, even if her senses were fading fast.

 

Maggie wrapped an arm around Alex’s waist for support. “One. Two. Three.”

 

With that, she got her up onto her feet, though Alex’s legs were wobbly. She felt like she was on a ship being tossed about in the ocean. The ground beneath her was about as stable as jelly. Or maybe that was Alex herself. It was getting harder and harder to tell. Or speak. Or think.

 

Everything was…clouded.

 

Alex blinked, her eyes struggling to focus in on anything. “…Where are we?” she murmured, her syllables jumbling together, unable to decipher her environment anymore, much less remember exactly how she’d come to be there. It felt like she was slipping into a dream. Was this even real?

 

“Closer to a fight than you need to be right now,” Maggie replied, struggling to balance Alex’s weight as she guided her out into the night air, onto the docks.

 

Maggie, Alex thought. Beautiful. Flirty. _Taken_. Maggie.

 

Upon that thought, Alex’s mood darkened. Alex wasn’t conscious of much else before the remainder of the night melded together into a complete, blank blur.

 

*     *     *

 

“One step at a time, Danvers; that’s it,” Maggie quietly encouraged. She wasn’t even sure Alex was conscious anymore. She was definitely lapsing in and out, to put it mildly. Every single time she went limp it nearly tipped them both over, but Maggie did her best not to lose her footing.

 

A scoff confirmed that Alex was indeed awake. “I know how to…walk, _Sawyer_. Don’t…tell me what to do,” Alex complained, not cognisant of how off-kilter she was.

 

Maggie smirked, glad to hear her speak. “Looks like your anti-venom worked. Not that I ever doubted,” she noted.

 

Alex was certainly not in a good way but, if she was talking and not having any issues breathing, then that meant she wasn’t being affected by the neurotoxin anymore; it hadn’t progressed. Thus, she was most likely going to be fine. Just, well, probably not back to her usual self until tomorrow morning, once she flushed these non-lethal chemical compounds out of her system.

 

“Get off me,” said Alex, brushing Maggie away and stumbling up against a nearby wall, bracing herself against it, beneath a light. “How did you…? Where…? Ugh, never mind; I don’t want to know,” she muttered, clutching at her head, struggling to make sense of her thoughts.

 

“You okay?” asked Maggie, watching on. Alex looked like she was on the verge of throwing up, like a drunk outside of a bar at three in the morning.

 

“Pfft. Like you care,” Alex responded through a sneer. Maggie arched an eyebrow at that. Alex fixed her with a frown and a glare as best she could in her condition, determination setting in. “Listen up, you jerk,” she began, pointing a finger at Maggie, “I’ve got something to say to you.”

 

“Hoo, boy.” Maggie scratched the side of her head, beginning to recognise just what kind of state Alex was in. This was going to be awkward. “Whatever it is, I promise not to hold it against you.”

 

“For one…you’re a _jerk_!” Alex sternly reiterated.

 

“Okay. We’ve established that,” Maggie unflappably replied, taking it all in stride. “You are also not the first woman to tell me that,” she added, mildly amused.

 

“Chyeah, I bet,” Alex responded. “You and your…face…leading girls on with your lying, jerk…face. It’s not like I’m crazy. You were…You were flirting with me this whole time,” Alex insisted. Maggie didn’t deny it. “And then when I finally get the courage to ask you out, all of a sudden it’s, 'Oh, shucks, Danvers, I’m seeing this random blonde chick I never mentioned. Too bad. Freakin’…deal with it.'”

 

Maggie gave a half-smile, otherwise not reacting to anything Alex said. It wasn’t as if she was entirely wrong in her assessments, was she?

 

Besides, none of this was Alex’s fault. There was no mistaking the fact that she was completely out of it, and not in control of her words or actions, and the only reason she was in this state was because she’d saved Maggie’s life. Even if she hadn’t been envenomated, Maggie couldn’t exactly blame Alex for being a little mad at her, although maybe this was a stronger backlash than she’d anticipated.

 

Nevertheless, it was fair to say Alex probably didn’t want to be divulging all this to her, so Maggie chose to step in to defuse the situation before it went too far.

 

“This isn’t the best time, Danvers,” said Maggie, politely placating her, since it felt sort of like a betrayal against Alex to be hearing all this when she was unable to censor herself. “Why don’t we have this conversation when you’re sober? You can yell at me as much as you want, guaranteed.”

 

It didn’t work.

 

“You know what? You might be hot and…smart and charming but I don’t…I don’t even care that you don’t want to go out with me,” Alex slurred, leaning on the wall to try and disguise how unsteady she was. “And, just so you know, your little girlfriend? She’s not even that attractive anyway. So _there_.”

 

Alex tried to fold her arms across her chest and look smug but, without her hand on the wall to keep her balanced, she staggered and very nearly tripped over her own feet until Maggie caught her.

 

“Don’t. I said don’t…” Alex protested, squirming free of Maggie’s grasp.

 

“Come on. You should sit down,” Maggie suggested, attempting to calm Alex. Maggie had said things she regretted when she was under the influence too, after all. It was not a fun experience.

 

“No, _you_ should sit down!” Alex shot back, her ire undiminished.

 

It was then that Supergirl showed up.

 

“Hey,” she said, landing on the asphalt behind Maggie. No doubt she’d been able to spot them both easily in the lamplight. “Your serial killer’s in cuffs, Detective Sawyer. We managed to bring him in alive. Although, he’s, um…now missing a hand. So, I guess, technically it’s one cuff rather than…You know, forget it. How’s Alex?” she asked, visibly anxious.

 

“Um…” Maggie slipped her hands into her pockets, her expression making it plain that she really didn’t know how to answer that tactfully. “…Well, the serum worked.”

 

Supergirl’s confusion at her vague reply was evident.

 

“Go away! This has nothing to do with you,” said Alex, dismissing Supergirl’s input. “ _You_. You can’t pretend you were innocent in all this. You did it on purpose,” Alex accused, her anger fixed firmly on Maggie, intent on tearing her a new one.

 

“Ohhh…” said Supergirl, very awkwardly, recognising the slur in Alex’s voice and suddenly realising exactly what Maggie had meant before.

 

“Yeah,” Maggie confirmed, rubbing the back of her neck. Alex was wasted.

 

“Why did you do all that stuff to me?” Alex continued, nowhere near finished with her venting. “Inviting me out to bars. Calling me all the time. Getting me all dressed up for Roulette’s little fight club. Holding my hand. Buying me drinks. Making sure I knew you date humans too. You acted like you were interested in me and made it very clear that you were available. Too bad it was all a charade.”

 

Supergirl’s eyes widened, looking between Alex and Maggie both, evidently beginning to figure out what was going on, and what she’d interrupted. Maggie could practically see the wheels turning in her head out of the corner of her eye, the puzzle pieces clicking into place.

 

“That’s not true, Danvers…” Maggie trailed off, deciding against arguing her case, not sure that there was any point in defending herself. Given the condition Alex was in, there was no chance that she would hear a word of it.

 

“Maybe I should warn the next agent you meet that your flirting is only a game – that you don’t mean any of it,” Alex threatened, her stare narrowed like that of a hawk, if an incredibly drunk one. “Why couldn’t you just say that you already had a girlfriend?!” Alex asked, raising her voice.

 

“You two were…Alex is…” Supergirl blinked cluelessly, all of these revelations taking more than a few moments to sink in. Apparently, this was news to her.

 

“I guess that proves they don’t have gaydar on Krypton,” Maggie remarked, lightening the mood somewhat. Supergirl still appeared thoroughly baffled.

 

“Shut up,” Alex interjected, cutting Maggie off. “Do you know hard it’s been for me? I’ve never even really dated a woman before, because I’ve spent so long pretending. And then you came along and I finally dared to hope that I’d met someone worthwhile – that maybe I didn’t have to be afraid of being myself, and I wouldn’t have to lie anymore. And then you took it all away from me!”

 

Maggie’s expression faltered. Partly because of the pain in Alex’s voice. Mostly because everything she said was hitting home, on some level, and doing so harder than Maggie cared to admit. It also made her realise how much she’d hurt Alex. That had never been her intention.

 

She never thought her actions would affect Alex like this. But, then again, that was the problem. All Maggie had been thinking about when she stood Alex up was herself. Her insecurities. Her cowardice.

 

“You know, it’s one thing to handle rejection when you’re wearing a mask and pretending to be something you’re not. But when you actually…show someone who you really are, make yourself vulnerable like that…” Alex swallowed. There were tears in her eyes. “…It’s the worst. Ever.”

 

The thing was, Maggie did know what that felt like. Far too well. That was why it was tough to confront that she’d done the same.

 

God damn it. She’d really messed up, hadn’t she?

 

“…Okay,” Supergirl piped up to break the uncomfortable silence. Either her shock had subsided or she had simply chosen to put it away for later, when she could actually address it. She cleared her throat, turning to face Maggie. “I’m, um…Thank you for looking after her. I think I should take over from here,” she suggested, making somewhat awkward gestures back in Alex’s general direction.

 

“That’s probably best,” Maggie conceded, needing some time to ponder her mistakes. Besides which, Supergirl could fly Alex straight home in a matter of minutes. Also, Alex wasn’t mad at her. So, that too.

 

“No, I’m not going anywhere. I’m not done with you,” Alex asserted, marching forward towards Maggie as best she could on her wobbly legs, her knees threatening to buckle. And then they did.

 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Settle down,” said Supergirl, keeping Alex from falling over, standing between her and Maggie. “Yeah, you’re right. She’s…She’s _totally_ a jerk,” Supergirl assured Alex, casting an apologetic glance back over her shoulder at Maggie, indicating she didn’t mean that. “You don’t need to…waste your time talking to her. Let’s…Let’s leave her to think about what she did, and we can…we can both talk about how awful she is?” she offered, hoping that would work.

 

Fortunately, it seemed to succeed. “Yeah.” Alex nodded, still staring Maggie directly in her eyes despite Supergirl’s best efforts to serve as a screen. “Yeah, you’re right. I don’t want to see her stupid face right now. Do the…do the flying thing,” she offhandedly instructed, content to get out of there.

 

Supergirl pulled a face and mouthed 'I am so sorry’ back at Maggie, visibly not enjoying being caught in the middle like this. With that, she scooped Alex up in her arms and flew off into the night, vanishing against National City’s skyline.

 

Maggie just stood there for several seconds in the ensuing silence, alone, under the lamplight, with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company.

 

Well, um… _That_ was a lot to absorb.

 

*     *     *

 

“Do you have any idea what it’s like?” Alex complained, stumbling over her words about as gracefully as she stumbled over Kara’s feet on their way through the corridors of the DEO, completely unable to support her own weight.

 

“No. No, I don’t,” Kara replied. In fact she didn’t have a clue what Alex was talking about. Her train of thought was very difficult to follow in this state. “But I have a feeling you’re going to tell me,” she said. If nothing else, she was learning an awful lot about Alex today.

 

“I mean, I’ve never even… _been_ to a gay bar,” Alex went on, gesturing as she spoke. Her shift in weight would have been enough to make a normal person fall over, or at the very least lose their balance. This was one of many times that Kara was grateful she had super strength on this planet. “Not that I’ve never thought about it. I have. A lot. But I could never work up the courage.”

 

“Why not?” asked Kara instinctively, though she doubted Alex understood her.

 

“Because I’ve worked so hard my whole life to try and fit in!” Alex answered, pouring out all these bottled up emotions without any restraint. “Why the hell would I throw all of that away – _especially_ with Mom – just to put myself out there to be rejected by a whole other group? I mean, even straight guys don’t like me, and they’re simple! So as if I’d have a chance with women when I have no freakin’ idea how to…be gay, or even be _comfortable_ being myself like they are.”

 

Kara blinked. Up until that point, it hadn’t really occurred to her to give much thought to the revelation that Alex was gay, or bi, or whatever she identified as. It was a surprise, sure, because that wasn’t something she’d known before, but it wasn’t like it mattered.

 

…Except maybe it did. It obviously did to Alex. Why else would she have gone to such lengths to hide it over the years?

 

“But then Maggie had to come along,” Alex glumly rambled on. “For the first time in my life I thought I’d really, you know… _met_ someone. Pssh. As if. Of course someone as perfect as her had to be taken. How stupid did I have to be to think she was being serious when she flirted with me? I bet she was just being friendly. Why would she ever be interested in me?”

 

The more Alex spoke, the more Kara realised how deep this rabbit hole went. She had barely scratched the surface of things she’d never known Alex was dealing with. And that was the most upsetting thing. After all, Kara had been right there this whole time. How could she have been so clueless?

 

She wanted to punch herself. Repeatedly. Except she couldn’t. Well, she could, Kara supposed, but it would look really weird, and that silliness would kind of defeat the purpose because this was serious.

 

Alex…

 

“What’s going on here?” Hank’s voice abruptly came from down the corridor, haste in his step as he approached the two of them.

 

“Don’t worry; she’s okay. Mostly,” Kara assured him, sensing his concern for Alex’s condition. Hank met that with a look of confusion, waiting for more information. Kara drew a blank. This was going to be tough to explain.

 

“Hi, Hank,” Alex slurred, heavy-lidded eyes scarcely able to stay focused on one spot. “What are you doing in my apartment? I can’t come to work in my pyjamas…”

 

Hank arched an eyebrow at her odd statement. “I’m guessing she didn’t get into this state by entering a drinking contest with a Daxamite,” he remarked.

 

“No. She got hit by that alien toxin, but the serum seems to have worked, at least for the deadly part,” Kara summarised as best she could, still holding a very groggy Alex up. “She’s probably going to be fine, but I just thought I should bring her here rather than take her home, in case she gets worse.”

 

“Good thinking.” Hank nodded, always putting Alex’s safety first. “Take her to the infirmary. I’ll send in a doctor to make sure she gets everything she needs.”

 

“On it,” said Kara, passing him on her way to the medical bay, as planned.

 

“It sucks, you know,” Alex mumbled.

 

“What does?” asked Kara, rounding the corner into the lab.

 

“I already knew I was the family disappointment, no matter what I tried to do. As if I wanted to add to that by turning out to be the freakin’…gay sister too,” she said, leaning on Kara as they went inside. “Mom would have a field day – one more thing to criticise about me.”

 

“Alex…” Kara frowned, heartbroken to hear her say that. Was that why she’d hidden this so long? “Why would Eliza view that as a flaw? It’s not. It just… _is_. She never cared if we were straight or gay or whatever,” Kara assured her, placing a hand on Alex’s back to comfort her as she finally reached a bed, not that she seemed to register Kara’s words. Alex was pretty incoherent.

 

“Hell, maybe that is why she was so critical,” Alex continued, bracing herself on the bed, a sombre look falling over her face. “It’s not the first time I’ve suspected that, you know – that she could always tell that I was gay, and that’s why she judged me so much harder than she ever did you. Would make sense.”

 

Kara hesitated. She didn’t think Eliza held that kind of prejudice, but what if she was wrong? It wasn’t like the issue had ever come up between them before. Besides, Kara had recently learned that her own parents hadn’t been immune to bigotry. What if Alex knew something she didn’t?

 

Poor Alex. Kara couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for her all these years, afraid Eliza would treat her differently if she knew, and having nobody to confide in. Kara felt horrible that she hadn’t figured everything out sooner. She should have been there for her, to let Alex know she was loved.

 

Better late than never, she supposed.

 

“Come on, don’t think about that right now,” Kara urged, gently helping Alex up onto the bed. They could deal with this when she was lucid. Right now, all Alex needed was to rest and get these intoxicating chemicals out of her body.

 

“Why would I _want_ to think about it, Kara?” Alex mumbled in reply, gingerly lying down on her side. “Outside work, my whole life sucks. Except you. You’re cool.”

 

Sadly though it was, Kara did smile at that. “Thanks, Alex.”

 

“…Your apartment looks really different,” Alex commented, hazy eyes scouring her indecipherable surroundings in puzzlement. “Also, your couch doesn’t have a back anymore. And, wait, how did we get here from my place so fa—Oh, right, you’re…Supergirl, and stuff,” she murmured wearily.

 

Kara sighed, hands perched on her waist. “…You need a bucket,” she said. With the way she looked, there was no chance Alex was going to make it through the night without being sick. And, sure enough, she didn’t.

 

Kara took care of her through it all, not leaving her side the entire time.

 

*     *     *

 

“Oh my God.” Alex groaned heavily, holding her palms to her eyes as she woke up. The first thing she was aware of was the blaring pain in her head. “Please turn down the lights. I literally feel like I’m dying.”

 

“You could have,” Kara’s voice replied. “I mean, you’re the first known survivor.”

 

“Where am I?” Alex asked. “What happened?”

 

“You’re in the DEO,” Kara explained. Alex managed to open her eyes enough to see her sister sitting on a neighbouring bed, in her Supergirl suit. “Remember that alien serum you made yesterday? Well, it stopped the venom part of the…venom, but you got injected with all kinds of chemicals at once. They, uh…They knocked you around pretty bad.”

 

“Tell me about it,” Alex grumbled, uttering noises of complaint as she slowly, unsteadily forced herself to sit up. Kara got off her bed to help her, just in case she passed out or threw up. “…This is the worst I have ever felt, and that’s saying something, because I had a rough couple of years before Hank found me.”

 

“Um, the doctor did leave me some pills for you,” said Kara, looking around to try and remember where she’d left them, spotting the container and a glass of water. “Here. You’re meant to take these, these and these. Anti-nausea. Anti-migraine. Painkillers. Something like that.”

 

“If this works, I will start a religion for you,” Alex vowed, because making this headache even a fraction better would be a god damn miracle. She swallowed the tablets with some water, trying very hard not to immediately gag them back up on account of her nausea.

 

Having a moment of inspiration, Kara grabbed a pack of saline solution and hit it with her freeze breath, turning it into an impromptu icepack. “Here,” she said, offering it to Alex.

 

“You are the world’s best sister,” Alex murmured, sincerely grateful as she clutched the cool ice to her head. “Were you here all night?”

 

Kara shrugged, as if that should have gone without needing to be stated. “You wouldn’t have left if it was me.”

 

“Good point,” Alex conceded, though another grunt soon escaped her. “I can’t remember a thing,” she continued in a mumble. “I must have blacked out.”

 

For some strange reason, Kara appeared rather alarmed by that. “Um…well…no? You weren’t…unconscious. I mean…you were…verbal,” she vaguely replied.

 

“I didn’t say anything weird, did I?” Alex asked through a snort, only joking.

 

“Errm…Umm…I, uh, buh…Tch…It’s…Mmm…Nyuh?” Kara did her best to look everywhere except at Alex. Her awkwardness spiked Alex’s suspicions.

 

“What?” Alex pressed, sitting forward, clutching the makeshift icepack to her head.

 

“Chyeah, well…have you ever…you know…sent a text when you’re really drunk?” Kara asked, fingers unsteadily fidgeting in front of her. Alex just stared at her, unblinking. “…You kind of…did that with Maggie…only in person,” Kara uncomfortably finished, pulling a face, as if braced for Alex’s reaction.

 

Alex was silent, vacant eyes gazing blankly ahead, that news sinking in.

 

Of course she freaking had, because Alex was cursed. Everything she did had to turn into a horrible disaster.

 

“…Kara, can you throw me into the Sun, please?” Alex quietly requested, officially done with her life on this planet. “If you love me, you’ll do this.”

 

“Look, I…I mean, Maggie knows you were affected by the toxin. I’m sure she won’t be mad; she understands you weren’t in your right mind,” Kara comforted her, doing her best to be optimistic.

 

“Yeah, except nothing I said was a lie, was it?” Alex mumbled darkly. When people were wasted, they tended to say things that part of them genuinely felt, even if it was only a small, subconscious part. Kara’s shoulders sank. Obviously, she couldn’t really refute that. Alex sighed. “How much did you hear?”

 

“Enough,” Kara confirmed, wearing a sympathetic smile.

 

Alex closed her eyes, fingers massaging her forehead. That meant Kara had probably gotten the gist of the entire conversation. “I guess I don’t need to tell you anymore but I’m a lesbian, by the way,” Alex muttered, guessing her feelings towards Maggie were no longer a secret.

 

“I wasn’t going to assume labels, but…I gathered that,” said Kara, which wasn’t surprising. There was no way it hadn’t come up. “How long have you known?” asked Kara, sitting beside Alex on her medbay bed.

 

“Since I was fourteen,” Alex admitted. Kara’s expression faltered slightly.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” said Kara, not sure what she’d done to compel Alex to pretend to be straight around her, talking about ‘cute guys’ and all those little lies that disguised her sexuality. “Did you think I’d have a problem with it?”

 

“No. I knew you wouldn’t,” Alex assured her, her voice soft yet strained from the pain in her head. “But, no offence, up until recently you were always pretty naïve about Mom, and about others,” Alex continued, not meaning anything bad by it, just explaining her reasons.

 

Kara didn’t interrupt, listening to Alex intently. If she was hurt by the implication, she didn’t show it. Alex briefly turned away from Kara’s gaze, swallowing before she went on.

 

“When we were at school, I wasn’t sure you’d realise how people might react if they knew, or why I wouldn’t feel safe having that spread around, because it wouldn’t even occur to you to think that people on this planet could be so…unaccepting. So I kept it from you. By the time we were older, I guess I was just so used to pretending that I didn’t even…” Finding it hard to form thoughts through her fog, Alex shrugged. “I mean, it’s not like I had a personal life, you know?”

 

“Yeah, I think I do,” said Kara. She hadn’t glanced away from Alex the whole time. “It’s sort of like how I didn’t become Supergirl until last year.”

 

“Mmm,” Alex confirmed. That wasn’t a bad analogy.

 

All of a sudden, a very serious look crossed Kara’s features. “…Alex,” she began, “…Did Eliza ever…say something to you about this?” she asked, her brows knitted together in concern and contemplation. “Something bad?”

 

“Kara…” Alex spoke her name, almost imploring her not to go there.

 

“Well, did she?” Kara asked, genuinely troubled by that prospect. “Don’t get me wrong; I’m not going to out you to her if you don’t want me to but, if she’s the reason you’re so afraid of being who you are, I’m going to…” Kara’s jaw tensed and she clenched her fist, but she released that quickly, clearly trying not to let that thought fester. “I’m going to have very strong words for her,” she calmly concluded, keeping her cool, if only for Alex’s benefit.

 

“It’s complicated,” was the best response Alex could give, although she didn’t have the strength to deny Kara’s questions. They weren’t meritless. “Seriously, Kara, I really can’t have this conversation when it feels like my eyeballs are trying to burrow through my brain and out the back of my skull.”

 

Hearing that, Kara’s expression softened once again. “…Come here,” she said. The next thing Kara did was wrap an arm around Alex’s shoulders, pulling her in for a sideways hug. “I love you. If you ever think anything matters more to me than you being happy, or if I ever made you think that being gay would even slightly change how I saw you, then…well, I’m not a very good sister.”

 

“No, you’re an awesome sister,” Alex avowed, not wanting Kara to blame herself. It wasn’t her fault. “…But I still want you to throw me into the Sun,” she mumbled.

 

“Please talk to Maggie before you commit to that,” Kara advised, sure things couldn’t be that bad.

 

“Nope,” Alex muttered in shame, cradling her aching skull in her palm. “My head is already exploding in super slow motion, and all my muscles feel like they’ve been injected with cement. I cannot deal with humiliation on top of that.”

 

“Danvers?”

 

That voice cut through the air like a knife. Alex froze in place for several seconds until she gathered the courage to reluctantly peek through her fingers. Sure enough, Maggie Sawyer was standing there in the doorway. Even Kara looked like a deer in headlights beside her at Maggie’s unexpected arrival.

 

“They, um…I told them who I was, and your boss let me in to see you,” Maggie explained, gesturing with one hand as she spoke, the other in her back pocket.

 

Yep. Being thrown into the Sun definitely would have been preferable to this.

 

Maggie cleared her throat. “Would you mind…?” she asked, indicating Kara.

 

“Oh, um…” Kara glanced over at Alex, who did everything in her power to send her a resoundingly clear psychic message of 'PLEASE DON’T’. Alex was not in any state to confront this on her own. Unfortunately, Kara seemed to have her own ideas, getting off the bed. “Yeah, I’ll um…I’ll just be outside,” she said.

 

Alex wished she could be mad at Kara for abandoning her, but it was impossible. On the way out, she did notice Kara leaning in to whisper something to Maggie, though she had no idea what. Once she was done passing that message on, she slipped around the corner, leaving the two of them alone to sort this all out.

 

“…How are you feeling?” asked Maggie. Alex just groaned, unable to even put it into words. Maggie smirked. “Okay, stupid question,” she acknowledged.

 

“I am so sorry,” Alex began, cutting to the chase, feeling terrible about whatever the hell she’d said. Even though she didn’t remember a word, Kara’s whole 'drunk text’ comparison gave her a solid idea.

 

“No, don’t apologise,” Maggie quietly insisted, raising her hand and shaking her head with a dismissive sort of chuckle. “It’s fine. It really is. We all have…less-than-pleasant emotional responses to things that we’d rather we didn’t. We just temper them with our rational, adult brains. It’s not your fault that you got hit with the alien venom equivalent of alcohol poisoning.”

 

“Yeah, but I still behaved like an ass,” Alex pointed out. If her words had hurt, or even made Maggie uncomfortable, then that didn’t go away because she hadn’t been in her right mind, nor did the embarrassment.

 

“Don’t feel bad about it,” Maggie assured her, casually shrugging her shoulders. “Honestly…you weren’t out of line, about anything,” she admitted, stepping closer. “That’s why I’m here – because _I_ need to apologise.”

 

All Alex could muster was a blink and a, “What?”

 

Maggie sighed and glanced down momentarily, putting her hands back in her pockets. “…I’m an idiot,” she announced, meeting Alex’s gaze once more.

 

“…Again, what?” Alex muttered in puzzlement. This definitely hadn’t been what she was expecting. Unless there was something she was missing about last night, which was certainly possible, Maggie had no reason to say that.

 

“I mean it; I’m an idiot,” Maggie continued, as laid-back in declaring that as she ever was. “Because you were right about all those things you said. Well, except for one part: I don’t actually have a girlfriend,” she revealed.

 

Alex’s eyes widened, which made the light hurt worse. “Oh. You…You don’t?”

 

“No.” Maggie gave her head one definitive shake back and forth. “She’s just someone I’ve been dating casually since I broke up with Darla. Not the only one, I should add, but that’s kind of beside the point.”

 

“But you’re not together?” Alex asked, needing to clarify that.

 

“No,” Maggie confirmed, pausing as if to make sure she phrased this correctly, behaving as though she felt compelled to let Alex hear this from her. “See, you were off your face last night. I don’t have that excuse; I was completely sober when I chose to listen to my defence mechanisms instead of my rational, adult brain and make an ass of myself, at your expense. Which, I’m aware, reflects pretty badly on me. But you made me put all that into perspective and…rethink my choices.”

 

Alex squinted at her in bafflement, clutching the icepack to her head. Maybe it was because of the migraine, but she had no idea what Maggie was talking about. What choices? How had she made an ass of herself?

 

“I wasn’t lying before, when I sent you those signals that I was interested in you, and available. And it wasn’t an accident,” Maggie explained, taking a step closer. “I was flirting with you because I liked you. But then my dumb ass had to go and try and 'play it cool’ because I didn’t want you to realise how fast I’d fallen for you,” she said, rolling her eyes at herself for her short-sighted actions. “And I think I didn’t want to acknowledge it to myself, either.”

 

Those words made Alex’s skin tingle and her pulse quicken. She didn’t want to believe them. This had to be some kind of trick. Or maybe she was misinterpreting what she was hearing because of her headache. Or maybe Maggie was just taking pity on her. Because there was absolutely no way it made sense that Maggie had legitimately said that she’d fallen for Alex. That wasn’t possible.

 

“Wanna know something about me that I never tell anyone? The first and only time I got emotionally involved with someone, it turned out I was being used,” Maggie confessed, undeterred by Alex’s silence, determined to make amends, even if it meant facing rejection. She seemed to be treating all of this uncharacteristic honesty like it was a fair and deserved part of her penance. “You may not have noticed but I don’t do 'vulnerability’ all that well,” she said, idly tracing her finger along the bed opposite Alex as she gradually drew nearer.

 

“Yeah, I did,” Alex conceded. “'Frustrating overconfidence’ is more your style.”

 

Maggie smirked at that, still as undaunted as ever, despite how much she was sharing. “That history’s a big part of why. I don’t feel comfortable with the idea of letting someone have that level of power over me again. So, that’s why I went all hot and cold on you. I thought if I acted like I didn’t care about you more than any other woman, maybe I’d believe it. I played a stupid game with you to protect my own ego because I didn’t want to repeat my past mistake.”

 

Alex’s lip twitched, feeling a pang of sorrow in her chest. “Your game hurt,” she said. And it really had, getting rejected like that.

 

For the first time, Maggie’s normally relaxed demeanour truly faded, her features falling along with her gaze, which dipped towards the floor. “…I know. Or I do now, anyway. I didn’t realise it until last night.”

 

“I’m guessing it was hard to miss,” Alex remarked, managing to keep one eye open despite the pounding headache right behind her brows.

 

“I didn’t think it would hurt you to see me dating other women,” Maggie admitted, shaking her head slightly. “Make you jealous maybe, yeah. And I acknowledge that that is not a justification either, because that, on its own, is a crappy thing to have wanted to do in the first place. But I, um…I honestly didn’t think you felt that strongly about me,” she said more wryly, almost looking a little flattered.

 

“Well, I…Pfft, you know…Who says I do?” Alex said with a weak shrug, doing a terrible job of lying, and not trying to be convincing anyway. Maggie unfurled a sly grin, finding the humour in their situation.

 

“Anyway, the point of me coming here was to tell you that what I did was messed up and wrong and…immature as hell. I genuinely am sorry for it,” Maggie continued, speaking straightforwardly and without any falsity or pretense. “I know I’m not entitled to your forgiveness, but please let me make it up to you,” she asked, hopeful that Alex would grant her that request.

 

“You don’t have to,” Alex assured her, dismissing the thought, though she was touched by the offer. Frankly, she wasn’t even remotely close to being upset with Maggie anymore. How could she be? They’d both made mistakes, and it was hard to judge someone for having issues when Alex had plenty of her own.

 

“No, but I mean it,” Maggie insisted. “Even if it takes a long time to earn your trust again, I’m willing to do that, because…you’re the only person I’ve met who’s made me want to stop being such a coward and actually commit to something for once. You’re worth putting myself out there for.”

 

“Seriously?” Alex arched an eyebrow, struggling to comprehend how she could be that important to anyone, let alone someone like Maggie. “Why?”

 

“Because how the hell does it make sense for me to be afraid of loving someone like you? You cared enough to risk your life for me, even after I hurt you,” Maggie pointed out. “Last night, I found myself thinking that I didn’t know if I could forgive myself if you’d died from that venom, never knowing how I felt about you. So I’ll be damned if I’m going to listen to my paranoia anymore.”

 

“…Has anyone ever told you you’re really good at apologies?” Alex asked, unable to think of much else to say with her head so full of fog.

 

Maggie cracked a grin at that, looking much more like her typical, cavalier self. “No, actually. I normally don’t apologise to anyone for anything,” she remarked.

 

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” said Alex. Maggie just gave a casual shrug, unfazed by her assessment. Alex exhaled, a small smile coming to her lips. “You are still a jerk for doing all that, for the record,” she teased.

 

“You’re not going to hear me disagree with you there,” Maggie replied, moving closer, until she was leaning back against Alex’s bed, right beside her. “I’m a cynical ass. I’m kind of used to dating cynical asses. I guess that’s the thing that I find so…striking about you; you’re not like that, and it throws me off.”

 

Alex snorted at that, even though it hurt to laugh. “You are the first person who has ever described me as not cynical.”

 

“No, you’re sarcastic; there’s a difference,” Maggie pointed out wisely. “But you’re actually, you know… _nice_. And genuinely nice, not as a front you put on to get into my pants. You’re sincere and not manipulative. And, don’t take this as a criticism because it’s not, but you’re obviously pretty new to the whole gay thing,” she observed, evidently having picked up on that very quickly.

 

“Not new to being gay, just…acting on it,” Alex quietly confirmed.

 

“Which means I…might be the first woman you’ve ever felt brave enough to ask out for drinks,” Maggie assumed. Alex didn’t deny it, because it was true. Her affirmative silence prompted Maggie to utter a guilty sigh. “I should have recognised that about you and…thought of that before I decided to treat you like you were the ex who broke my heart. Because the truth is that I really do want to be with you. And it’s scary for me to admit that.”

 

“…It’s scary for me to admit it to,” Alex acknowledged, mustering the courage to meet Maggie’s gaze. Because, despite the drama, she did still want to be with her. A lot. And she was sure it must have been written all over her face.

 

Maggie said nothing, simply watching the emotions play across Alex’s stare for a few short, silent seconds that felt like an eternity between them. It made Alex’s heart flutter to see those deep brown eyes sparkling back at her, so close. It was almost too intense. She had to stop and catch her breath and turn away.

 

“So, I, um…” Alex stammered nervously. “You…You _are_ single, then?”

 

“Not if you don’t want me to be,” Maggie mischievously replied. Alex just blinked and faced her once again, not sure she’d heard that correctly.

 

Without another word, Maggie leaned forward and gently kissed her. Alex tensed, too stunned to react. The contact lingered long enough for her to savour the faint brush of soft lips against hers before Maggie pulled away.

 

“Tell you what? Why don’t we pick this back up again when you _don’t_ have a venom migraine?” Maggie suggested, wearing her typical, relaxed smirk, eyes flicking up towards the makeshift icepack Alex held against her head. “Maybe over that drink you asked me out for? If the offer still stands, I mean,” she added, not assuming she could take that for granted.

 

“I, um…Yeah. It…It stands.” Alex nodded her agreement through her pained headache-squint, trying not to make her shy blush too obvious. “That would be great. It just, uh…might be a couple of days before I can do alcohol.”

 

“Good. It’s on me, then,” Maggie promised, looking very self-satisfied as she slipped away from the bed. “Catch you later, Danvers,” she said, giving a mock-salute as she took her leave.

 

“Yeah, you too, Sawyer,” Alex murmured in reply, half-mesmerised by the phantom sensation of her kiss echoing across her lips.

 

Almost as soon as Maggie left, Kara’s blonde head peeked around the corner, doing a very poor job of suppressing her grin as she entered the room. “Soooo…” Kara began, a spring in her step. “Did it go well?”

 

Alex gave her a look. “Judging by that expression you’re wearing, you already know. You were using your super hearing, weren’t you?” she deduced. Kara had the decency to guiltily avert her gaze. “How long were you listening?”

 

“…Long enough that I was tempted to come in here and direct traffic myself to make _one_ of you ask the other out towards the end,” Kara acknowledged. Alex arched an eyebrow at that. “What? It was taking a while. I got anxious. Ask Winn; I broke like three of his pens,” she said, gesturing out the window.

 

Alex uttered a chuckle, her cheeks flushed, no doubt glowing bright red. “Yeah, well, if you heard how it went, then…” In place of finishing that, she simply gestured at Kara, giving her permission to let it out. “Feel free to react.”

 

That was exactly what Kara proceeded to do.

 

“OH MY GOSH, ALEX! That whole thing was just like… _wow_!” Kara enthused, bursting with uncontainable excitement. “I mean, not only does Maggie like you, but I think she, like… _really_ likes you. And why wouldn’t she? You’re my sister and you’re awesome! But then there was the part with the kiss and it was just like…AAAHH! I’m so happy for you!” she gushed, engulfing Alex in a hug.

 

Alex laughed in spite of herself. Kara had never had a reason to say anything like that over her romantic life before. It was new, in a good way.

 

“But, wait, never mind me; this is the first time you’ve ever been able to, you know, act on your real feelings, and go on a date with someone you actually like,” Kara pointed out, releasing Alex from her super hug. “How does it feel?”

 

“…I think it must be the best painkiller in the world because I feel amazing right now,” Alex conceded, bashful though her grin was.

 

Kara beamed even more. “Aleeeex,” she all but sang, absolutely buzzing with sheer delight as she nudged her sister in the arm.

 

“What?” said Alex, though she had a pretty solid idea.

 

“You’re in _luurrve_ ,” Kara teased, prodding her in the side.

 

“I am _not_ ,” Alex insisted with a snort, though she couldn’t keep the smile from her face. “We only just met like two weeks ago.”

 

“Shh. It’s okay. I won’t tell anybody,” Kara assured her with a mock-conspiratorial whisper. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

 

“There’s nothing to be kept secret,” Alex maintained. “Not yet.”

 

“Sure there isn’t,” Kara replied, trying to wink and failing. “Gah, I never mastered doing that…” she said, attempting to manually make one eye close at a time.

 

A thought struck Alex then. “Hey, Kara? What did you whisper to Maggie before?” she asked, still nursing her head, even though it didn’t hurt as badly anymore. “When you left earlier, I saw you lean in and say something.”

 

Kara smiled. “I told her that, whatever she did, I hoped it was the right thing, because you are the most incredible person I’ve ever met, and it would be a crime if she let you slip through her fingers,” she answered, the warmth and fondness in her tone mirroring her gaze. “Paraphrasing, of course.”

 

Alex returned her smile. “Thanks, Kara.”

 

“Anytime,” Kara replied, wrapping her arms around Alex one more time in a gentle hug, which Alex returned with her free hand. “…Fair warning: the second you get back from your date, I am going to bug you so much about it.”

 

“Kara…” Alex light-heartedly warned.

 

“As your little sister, it is my job; I am entitled to this,” Kara insisted.

 

“It’s just drinks in a bar!” Alex protested.

 

“What kind of drinks? What bar? What will you be wearing? What will _she_ be wearing? Will there be dancing?” Kara stopped and gasped, covering her mouth in glee. “What if she kisses you again?!”

 

Alex couldn’t quite stifle a chuckle, not even bothering to interrupt Kara, letting her babble. For once in her life, Alex was happy, and Kara was thrilled to see her that way, which in turn cheered her up even more.

 

Migraine or not, what had started as one of the worst days of Alex’s life had swiftly turned into one of the best. And, despite her usual insecurities, Alex was content to indulge in that blissful high for as long as it lingered.


End file.
